U.S. patent number 4,674,052 [Application Number 06/668,989] was granted by the patent office on 1987-06-16 for collating and binding system and method with postage indication.
This patent grant is currently assigned to R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company. Invention is credited to Josef K. Lubenow, Did-Bun Wong.
United States Patent |
4,674,052 |
Wong , et al. |
June 16, 1987 |
Collating and binding system and method with postage indication
Abstract
A collating and binding system for producing customized versions
of books includes means for detecting a defective book, means
responsive to the detecting means for rejecting the defective book
and means for reordering the rejected book at a point in an
original production sequence determined in accordance with a
comparison of the postal information of the rejected book with the
postal information of a book currently being produced. An
indication of the postage required to mail the produced books is
derived from an amount calculated before the books are produced and
from indications of postage increases for those books which were
reordered at subsequent portions in the original production
sequence.
Inventors: |
Wong; Did-Bun (Elmhurst,
IL), Lubenow; Josef K. (Chicago, IL) |
Assignee: |
R. R. Donnelley & Sons
Company (Chicago, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
27072051 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/668,989 |
Filed: |
November 7, 1984 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
559398 |
Dec 8, 1983 |
4500083 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/402;
270/58.01; 705/407 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B07C
1/00 (20130101); B42C 1/12 (20130101); B65H
29/62 (20130101); B65H 43/04 (20130101); B65H
2301/44712 (20130101); B65H 2301/4311 (20130101); B65H
2301/44712 (20130101); B65H 2220/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B07C
1/00 (20060101); B42C 1/12 (20060101); B65H
29/62 (20060101); B65H 43/04 (20060101); G06F
015/20 (); G06G 007/48 (); B65H 039/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;364/464,466,567
;270/54,58 ;377/8 ;177/1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0015112 |
|
Mar 1980 |
|
EP |
|
2066734 |
|
Jul 1981 |
|
GB |
|
2066735 |
|
Jul 1981 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Krass; Errol A.
Assistant Examiner: Laibowitz; Danielle B.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wood, Dalton, Phillips, Mason &
Rowe
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.
559,398 filed Dec. 8, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,083, entitled
"Collating and Binding System and Method with Postage Indication"
and assigned to the assignee of the instant application.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of deriving an indication of the postage required to
mail a plurality of books assembled by a collating system having
means for assembling the books in a sequence, means for detecting a
defective book, means for reordering the defective book at a later
point in the sequence and means for detecting when each completed
book has reached a particular point in the collating system, the
method comprising:
storing an indication of the sequence in which the books are to be
assembled, an anticipated number of other books with which each
book is to be combined into a bundle prior to mailing thereof and
an anticipated postal rate for the books in each bundle;
incrementing a bundle counter as each book reaches the particular
point until the last book in a bundle reaches the particular point;
and
generating an indication of the postage required to mail the
assembled books from the contents of the bundle counter, the
anticipated number of other books and the anticipated postal
rate.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating includes
the step of determining whether the contents of the bundle counter
exceeds a minimum number of books required for the bundle to
qualify for the anticipated postal rate.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating includes
the further step of calculating an indication of postage for each
bundle based upon the anticipated postal rate if the contents of
the bundle counter exceed the minimum number and upon a rate higher
than the anticipated rate if the counter contents do not exceed the
minimum number.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the postal rates include lowest,
intermediate and highest rates and wherein the step of generating
includes the step of providing a precalculated postage and
increasing the precalculated postage by an amount equal to the
contents of the bundle counter multiplied by the difference between
the highest postal rate and the anticipated postal rate if the
contents of the counter does not exceed the minimum number.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the generating step includes the
further steps of determining a bundle weight for each bundle whose
anticipated postal rate is the intermediate rate and checking
whether each bundle weight exceeds a specified minimum.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the generating step includes the
further step of increasing the precalculated postage amount by the
difference between the highest rate and the intermediate rate and
multiplying the difference by the contents of the bundle counter if
the anticipated postal rate was the intermediate rate of the bundle
and the bundle weight does not exceed the specified minimum.
7. The method of claim 2, including the further step of developing
an indication when the content of the bundle counter does not
exceed the minimum number.
8. A system for deriving an indication of the postage required to
mail items gathered by a gathering system including means for
gathering the items in a sequence which permits the items to be
assembled into packages so that advantage can be taken of postal
discounts, means for detecting a defective item and means for
reordering the defective item at a point subsequent to the original
point at which the defective item was gathered in the sequence,
comprising:
means for developing an indication of an anticipated postal rate
for each package if the gathering is accomplished without gathering
of defective items and reordering of same;
means coupled to the developing means for counting the actual
number of items gathered for each package;
means coupled to the counting means for determining whether the
actual number of items equals or exceeds a minimum number of items
required to mail the package at the anticipated postal rate;
and
means coupled to the determining means for providing an indication
of an adjusted postal rate higher than the anticipated postal rate
for each package that does not include the minimum number of
items.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the developing means includes
means for storing an indication of the package in which each item
is to be assembled and wherein the counting means includes means
for detecting when each item reaches a particular point in the
gathering system and means responsive to the storing means and the
detecting means for accumulating the number of items in each
package that reach the particular point.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the packages can qualify for a
lowest, an intermediate and a highest postal rate and wherein the
providing means includes means for calculating an indication of the
postage required for each package based upon the highest rate if
the anticipated postage rate for the package is the lowest or
intermediate rate and the actual number of gathered items is less
than the minimum number.
11. The system of claim 10, further including means for weighing
each package if the anticipated postage rate for the package is the
intermediate rate and means for generating an indication of the
postage required for each package based upon the highest rate if
the package weight is less than a minimum weight.
12. A system for deriving an indication of the postage required to
mail items gathered by a gathering system including means for
gathering the items in a sequence which permits the items to be
assembled into packages so that advantage can be taken of postal
discounts, means for detecting a defective item and means for
reordering the defective item at a point subsequent to the original
point at which the defective item was gathered in the sequence,
comprising:
first means for storing an indication of the anticipated postage
rate for each item which would be applicable if the items are
gathered in the sequence, the postage rate being a lowest, an
intermediate or a highest rate;
second means for storing an indication of whether an item whose
anticipated postage rate is the lowest rate could be reordered at a
point in the sequence so that it can be gathered into a package
with other items that qualify for the intermediate rate so that the
reordered item can also qualify for the intermediate rate; and
means responsive to the first and second storing means for
developing an indication of the postage required to mail the items
including means for calculating the actual postage for each
reordered item whose anticipated postage rate is the lowest rate,
the actual postage being at the intermediate rate if the items can
qualify for such rate.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein the determining means includes
means for calculating the postage for each item based upon the
highest rate if a reordered item whose anticipated rate is the
lowest rate cannot qualify for the intermediate rate.
14. The system of claim 12 wherein the developing means includes
means for determining whether the weight of the package and the
reordered item exceeds a maximum and means for assigning the
highest postage rate to the reordered item if the weight exceeds
the maximum.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to collating and binding
systems and methods, and more particularly to a system for
collating signatures into individual books, arranging the books for
efficient mailing and generating an indication of postage
therefor.
One prior type of collating and binding system is disclosed in
Riley et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,818, assigned to the assignee of
the instant application. This collating and binding system
discloses a plurality of signature feeders disposed adjacent a
conveyor, the signature feeders being individually operated by a
programmable controller so that customized books are built in
accordance with information contained on a magnetic tape. Means are
provided along the conveyor to detect defective books. These
defective books are removed from the conveyor by a diverter which
is operated by the programmable controller.
The above system disclosed in Riley et al is useful to permit
customized information and/or signatures to be placed in books
produced during a single production run. In other words, each book
can be customized for the person to whom it is to be sent.
These books are then collated and bound in a sequence such that the
resulting books can be easily bundled to take advantage of postal
discounts or to meet Post Office requirements.
The assembling of customized books in a particular sequence to
permit bundling according to postal regulations is difficult to
achieve in an optimal fashion in the event a defective book is
detected, rejected and reordered by the system. In such a case, the
Riley et al system compares the mailing information of the
defective book with the mailing information of the book adjacent
the first signature feeder (or the "most recent book") to determine
the optimal time to reorder the book. For example, if the defective
book and the most recent book have the same zip code, the defective
book can be immediately reordered and grouped with other books
having the same zip code to obtain postal discounts. However, if
the zip code of the most recent book is different than that of the
defective book, then the defective book is reordered following the
last book within the same sectional center facility, or SCF,
destination. As these examples illustrate, the time for reordering
is determined in accordance with a comparison of the mailing
information of the defective book with the mailing information of
the most recent book on the conveyor.
In some cases when a book is found to be defective and is
reordered, the book may no longer qualify for a certain postal
discount and may instead be subject to a higher postal rate. For
example, a book may be originally classified in a discount
classification along with other books to be delivered to the same
five digit zip code area. If this book is found to be defective and
is reordered at a time such that it no longer is grouped with other
books of the same zip code, then this book may not qualify for the
discount postage rate previously applicable. The Riley et al system
noted above is not capable of generating an indication of the
change in postage, if any, caused by the reordering of the
defective book.
It may also happen that the reordering of a defective book may
cause not only the reordered book to be subject to a higher postal
rate but also cause the other books with which the reordered book
was originally grouped to be subject to a higher rate, since the
remaining books may not meet the minimum requirements, either in
terms of number or weight, for the postal discount. The Riley et al
system noted above is not capable of generating an indication of
the change in postal rate of a group of books as the result of a
reordering of one or more books in the group.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a collating and binding
system includes means for deriving an indication of postage
increase caused by the rejection and reordering of defective books.
It should be noted that while the present invention is particularly
useful with collating and binding systems, in a more general sense
it can be used to derive an indication of the postage required to
mail items which are gathered by a gathering system.
The collating system of the present invention includes a plurality
of signature feeders for delivering signatures to a plurality of
stations along a collating conveyor. A computer controls the
signature feeders to progressively assemble different groups of
signatures on the conveyor and thereby build a series of books in
an original or predetermined sequence to take advantage of postal
discounts. Means are disposed along the conveyor for detecting a
defective book and means responsive to the detecting means reject
the defective book at a point downstream from the signature
feeders.
The collating system further includes means for reordering the
rejected book at a point in the sequence determined in accordance
with a comparison of the postal information of the rejected book
with the postal information of a book on the conveyor, typically
the current or most recent book being assembled by the system. The
computer generates an indication of the incremental increase in
postage for the reordered book based upon the point in the sequence
at which the defective book was reordered and adds this increase to
a precalculated indication of such postage computed before the
collating and binding has begun.
Means are included for generating an indication of the incremental
increase in postage for a grouping of books which originally
qualified for a postal discount, but which no longer qualify due to
the reordering of one or more books in the group.
Also provided are means for reordering a defective book, which book
originally qualified for a postal discount, at a point in the
sequence which qualifies the book for another postal discount or,
if this is not possible, at a point in the sequence which causes
the book to be classified in the highest postal rate category.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a signature collating and binding
system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a generalized block diagram of the control program stored
in the computer shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3A and 3B, when joined along similarly lettered lines,
comprise a flow chart of the book reordering control program stored
in the computer shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4, 5A and 5B are flow charts of the postage revision control
program stored in the computer of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of steps for generating an indication of
postage due to the reordering of defective books, such steps being
implemented either manually or in the computer shown in FIG. 1;
and
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of programming within the computer shown in
FIG. 1 to detect the occurrence of a "degenerated" bundle
condition.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, a signature collating and binding system
14 is disclosed, such system being preferably of the type disclosed
in Riley et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,818, assigned to the assignee of
the instant application and the disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference. The description of the Riley et al
system in this application is limited to those portions which are
pertinent to an understanding of the present invention, it being
understood that a more complete description may be had by reference
to the above-identified patent.
The system 14 includes a conveyor 16 having a plurality of
stations, such as station 18, each station being separated from
other stations by pusher pins shown schematically at 20. The
station 18 is illustrated as being positioned to receive a
signature 21 stored in a first signature feeder box 22. The feeder
box 22 includes feeder apparatus 24 selectively operated by a main
computer 25 through a distribution network 26. The feeder apparatus
24 is disclosed in the above-mentioned Riley et al patent and
reference may be had thereto for a full description. At this point,
it need only be mentioned that the signature 21 may or may not be
placed on the conveyor 16 at the station 18 depending upon the
state of a signal on a line 28 from the distribution network
26.
The first signature feeder box 22 also includes a detector 30 which
detects when a signature has been placed on the conveyor 16. The
output from the detector 30 is coupled to the computer 25 through
the network 26.
Second through nth signature feeder boxes are also disposed along
the conveyor 16, only the nth box 32 being shown schematically for
purposes of simplicity. Each of the second through nth signature
feeder boxes is essentially identical to the first feeder box 22,
the feeding of signatures by the boxes being individually
controlled by the main computer 25. The computer 25 in turn
receives information from a magnetic tape reader 36 which senses
information stored on a magnetic tape 37 regarding the particular
signatures to be assembled for each book. As noted in the
above-mentioned Riley et al patent, different versions of books may
be built at different stations of the conveyor 16 by controlling
the feeding of signatures by each of the feeder boxes.
A programmable controller 27 is also coupled to the distribution
network 26 and is capable of controlling various book-processing
apparatus noted more specifically below.
The conveyor 16 is driven by a chain motor 38 and information
regarding the position of the stations of the conveyor 16 is
developed by an encoder 39 and is coupled to the distribution
network 26.
A non-contact printer, such as an ink jet printer 40, is disposed
between the first and nth signature feeder boxes at a point which
permits ink jet printing of customized information under control of
the computer 25 on one or more signatures. The ink jet printer 40
includes a detector 41 which detects whether the printer is
operating correctly. A microcomputer 42 controls the printer 40 in
response to commands from the computer 25.
Alternatively, the ink jet printer 40 may be located at another
point, as desired.
Also disposed along the length of the conveyor 16 is means for
detecting a defective book. One of these means is the detector 41
in the ink jet printer 40 described above. Other means include a
long book detector 43, a hanging signature detector 44, a missing
book detector 46 and a square book detector 47, the last two being
located farther downstream adjacent the conveyor 16. A caliper 48
may additionally be utilized to check the thickness of each book on
the conveyor 16. The caliper 48 is adjusted to provide a defective
book indication to the distribution network 26 and the computer 25
when the thickness of the book measured thereby is outside of a
predetermined range.
A stitcher 50 binds the assembled books after measurement by the
caliper 48. A diverter 52, under control of the programmable
controller 27 rejects defective books by removing same from the
conveyor 16. A trimmer 54 then cuts the bound books to size and a
label printer 56, which may be a second ink jet printer, operated
by the computer 25 and a microcomputer 57, prints mailing
information on the outside of the completed book. The label printer
56 may also have a detector 58 incorporated therein to determine
whether the printer is operating satisfactorily. For example,
bundling apparatus in the form of a town sort mechanism 59 groups
the books into bundles, with each bundle being weighed by a bundle
scale 60 which may be utilized to verify that bundle weights are
within a required range established by the postal service. The town
sort mechanism 59 is coupled to the programmable controller 27 and
is controlled thereby to satisfy postal requirements and/or to take
advantage of postal discounts. The indication of bundle weight
provided by the bundle scale 60 is provided to the computer 25
which checks to determine whether the bundle weight is within
limits imposed by the postal service, as noted more specifically
below.
Following the bundle scale 60, additional processing may be
performed as desired.
The computer 25 includes a random access memory, or RAM 62 and a
central processing unit, or CPU 64. The RAM 62 contains the control
program described in later portions of this specification and may
additionally store incremental postal rates, as later noted. The
RAM 62 also stores various intermediate results of calculations
performed by the CPU 64 and information from the magnetic tape
reader 36 indicating the makeup of each book to be produced during
a production run, the address to which the completed book is to be
sent and other information.
An operator console 66 acts as an interface between an operator and
the collating system. The computer 25 may also operate a printer 68
to inform a user of various operating conditions in the collating
system. For example, the computer 25 may operate the printer 68 to
print a postage report for the assembled books, as noted more
specifically below.
The collating system may include additional elements, such as a
replacement book feeder which replaces missing books with a
standard book, or other elements as desired. The replacement book
feeder is disclosed in Abram et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,165 and in
the above-noted Riley et al patent and reference should be made
thereto for a full description.
The order in which the books are to be produced is derived from
mailing lists provided by the customer so that advantage is taken
of discounts offered by the Postal Service. The postage is then
calculated and this precalculated indication of total postage and
the rate category for each book to be produced is stored on the
magnetic tape 37. The current postal rate structure for bulk
business mail and the postal bundling requirements, are illustrated
in a pamphlet published by the Graphic Communications Association
of Arlington, Va. entitled "Specifications Manual PASS: Package and
Sack/Skid Sequencing for Publications Mailings" May, 1984, which is
hereby incorporated by reference. The rate structure, as
illustrated at pages 20, 21 and pages 44, 45 of this pamphlet, for
second and third class mailings is as follows:
______________________________________ 2nd Class 3rd Class Postal #
of Pieces Postal # of Pieces Rate or Weight Rate Category Required
Level Required Level ______________________________________ Carrier
6 or more C 10 or more CAR RT Route (lowest pieces (lowest rate)
rate) 5 Digit 6 or more B 50 pieces 5-DIGIT Zip Code (intermedi- or
10 lbs. (intermedi- ate rate) ate rate) Mixed -- -- Multiple
5-DIGIT Directs 5-digit zip (intermedi- packages ate rate) destined
for the same uni- que 3-digit zip city City or 6 or more B 10 or
more BASIC Unique 3 (intermedi- pieces (highest Digit City ate
rate) rate) 3 DIGIT 6 or more A 10 or more BASIC Zip Code (highest
pieces (highest rate) rate) SCF 6 or more A 10 or more BASIC
(highest pieces (highest rate) rate) IF BUNDLES ARE TO BE SACKED:
Common 6 or more A 10 or more BASIC State (highest pieces (highest
rate) rate) Mixed left over A left over BASIC States (highest
(highest rate) rate) IF BUNDLES ARE TO BE PALLETIZED: SDC 6 or more
A 10 or more BASIC (highest pieces (highest rate) rate)
______________________________________
A typical second class piece of mail is a magazine while a typical
third class item is a catalog.
In terms of second class mailings, a bundled group of 6 or more
pieces to the same carrier route qualifies for the lowest postal
level rate C, while a bundled group of six or more pieces to the
same 5-digit zip code qualifies for an intermediate postal rate
level B. The remaining groupings, for example the 3-digit zip code
category (referring to the first three digits of the 5-digit zip
code) where six or more books are grouped together each having a
common 3-digit zip code prefix, qualify for the basic (or highest)
postal rate A.
Similarly, for third class mailings, ten or more pieces bundled
together by carrier route qualifies for the lowest postal rate
level CAR RT, while groupings of 50 or more books, or 10 pounds or
more of books, having a common 5-digit zip code qualify for the
intermediate rate 5-DIGIT. Also qualifying for the intermediate
rate are mixed directs, which are multiple 5-digit zip code
packages destined for the same unique 3-digit city (not applicable
to second class). The remaining categories qualify for BASIC (or
highest) rates, similar to that described with respect to second
class.
It should be noted that, in the case of third class mailings
qualifying for the intermediate rate, there is a maximum weight
which can be grouped as a bundle or package, the maximum weight
being determined by the postal service.
For either class, the bundling requirements differ for bundles
qualifying for the highest rate depending upon whether the bundles
are to be assembled into a sack or are to be palletized. If the
former, the bundles are categorized into common or mixed states
while if the latter, the bundles are categorized into the SDC (or
State Distribution Center) category.
As noted above, the magnetic tape 37 contains for each book to be
produced information as to the makeup of the book in terms of which
signatures are to be included therein and information regarding the
person and mailing address to which the book is to be sent. This
information may be arranged sequentially on the magnetic tape 37 so
that the finished books exit the conveyor ready to be bundled into
groups which qualify for the postal rate discounts.
This grouping of books can result in substantial postal savings to
the customer. However, when a book originally qualifying for a
postal discount is found to be defective on the conveyor and is
rejected by the diverter 52, and it is too late to reorder the same
book so that it can be grouped with its original grouping, then the
reordered book may not qualify for the discount. Accordingly, the
precalculated indication of postage required may become
erroneous.
Furthermore, a defective book which cannot be reordered so that it
is still grouped with its original grouping of books may cause the
entire original grouping to drop below the minimum level necessary
to qualify at a particular postal rate. For example, if a defective
book in a second class mailing was originally grouped with five
other books all addressed to the same carrier route and if the
defective book could not be reordered to maintain its grouping with
the remaining five books, then all six of the books, (i.e. the
defective book plus the five other books with which it was
grouped), cannot qualify for postal rate level C but instead must
be mailed at a higher postal rate level B or A. Such a grouping of
books is referred to a "degenerated" bundle or package since the
entire grouping has dropped from one postal rate classification to
another, i.e. from the lowest rate to either of the intermediate or
highest rates or from the intermediate rate to the highest
rate.
In the case of a reorder of a defective book which originally
qualified for the lowest rate and which cannot be reordered in time
to preserve its original discount classification, there is the
additional problem of determining whether or not the book can be
reordered so as to qualify for the intermediate rate or whether it
must be mailed at the highest rate. This problem arises due to the
requirement that bundles or packages must include a minimum number
of items or a minimum weight in order to qualify for the
intermediate rate. Hence, for each reordered book which originally
qualified for the lowest rate and which cannot be grouped with its
original bundle or package, a determination must be made as to
whether it is possible to reorder the book at a point in the
sequence which would permit the book to be grouped with other books
which already qualify for the intermediate rate or whether the book
must be mailed at the highest rate.
The above problems can be particularly acute where the books are
"customized" in the sense that not all of the books produced during
a single production run are identical. Customization can result
from signatures being included in some books but not in others,
ink-jet printing of specialized messages (such as addressee name)
on one or more signatures, insertion of subscription cards in some
books but not others or any other manufacturing step which is
selectively performed on less than all of the books in a production
run so that not all books are alike. In fact, two or more different
publications might be produced during the course of a single
production run, and hence these books are appropriately considered
"customized" as well.
Where a customized book is found to be defective and is rejected,
the next book in the collating sequence cannot simply be
substituted therefor to make up the deficiency since the two books
are most likely not identical. Therefore, the customized book must
be reordered.
In order to generate an indication of postage for a defective book
which is reordered, the computer 25 is programmed to reorder the
defective book at an appropriate point in the original collating
sequence to take advantage of postal discount rates. An indication
of the increase in postage, if any, for the reordered book is then
generated by the computer 25 based upon the point in the collating
sequence at which the book was reordered.
Referring also to FIG. 2, the book reorder and postage revision
program stored in the computer 25 is accessed by any one of a
number of interrupts generated by the computer 25 or the
programmable controller 27. The computer or controller generates an
interrupt whenever a signal is generated by one of the defective
book detecting means. For example, if a failure has occurred in an
ink jet such that the printer 40 fails to print a satisfactory
message on a signature, the computer 25 receives the signal from
the detector 41 in the printer 40 and generates the interrupt to
cause the computer 25 to reorder the book at an appropriate time
and generate an indication of the increase in postage for that
piece of mail.
In a similar fashion, an indication of a defective book provided by
the detectors 30,43,44,46,47 and a thick/thin-book indication from
the caliper 48 causes an interrupt to be transmitted to the
computer 25.
Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, there is illustrated a portion of
the programming in the computer 25 which determines the appropriate
point in the original sequence to reorder a book found to be
defective. The postal information of the defective book is compared
with the postal information of the most recent book on the conveyor
to determine which parts of the postal information for these books
match and the defective book is immediately reordered or is
reordered later in the sequence prior to a change in one of the
matching parts of the postal information.
The "most recent" book is that book in the process of being
assembled which is currently adjacent the first signature feeder
box 22. In other words, the most recent book as seen in FIG. 1 is
typically that book which is eventually assembled on the station
18.
As seen in FIG. 3A, following the receipt of a defective book
interrupt generated as previously noted, a block 80 determines the
version of the defective book. As previously noted, each book may
be different from or the same as other books in the production run
depending upon the makeup of the book in terms of which signatures
are fed to the appropriate station on the conveyor. As previously
noted, this book makeup information is initially stored on the
magnetic tape 36. During production the information for each book
is read into the RAM 62 of the computer 25 in a fashion identical
to that disclosed in connection with FIGS. 10 and 11 of the Riley
et al patent. For purposes of discussion in this application, it
will be assumed that the version may be any one of N versions to be
produced by the collating and binding system.
A block 82 then compares the 3-digit carrier route and 5-digit zip
code designations of the defective book with the same information
of the most recent book being assembled on the conveyor. If the
carrier routes and zip codes of these books are the same, then a
block 86 stores the book information for the defective book in the
RAM 62 so that this book is assembled immediately following the
most recent book. The defective book is therefore reordered so that
it can be grouped with the other books having the same carrier
route and zip code mailing information.
In the event that the carrier route and zip code information are
not identical, then a block 88 compares only the 5-digit zip code
of the defective book with the most recent book zip code. If it is
found that the 5-digit zip codes are identical, a block 92 causes
version X to be reordered immediately preceding the first book
having a zip code different than the zip code of the books
currently being assembled. Following the block 92, control passes
to a block 120 in FIG. 4 where the indication of increase in
postage for the defective book is generated. This is necessary
since the book can no longer be grouped with other books having the
same carrier route and zip code information, and hence this book
cannot be mailed at postal rate C (for second class) or at the CAR
RT rate (for third class mail). Instead this book must be shipped
at a higher postal rate.
Following the block 90, a block 91 checks to determine whether a
city code stored on the tape 37 for the defective book and the most
recent book are the same. If this is the case, control passes to a
block 93 which reorders the defective book immediately preceding a
change in the city code. Control then passes to the block 120, FIG.
4.
It should be noted that the city code indicates whether a finished
book is to be mailed at the intermediate rate providing that it is
produced and grouped in the original sequence. In other words, the
city code indicates whether the book originally qualified under the
5-digit zip, city or unique 3-digit city categories (if second
class) or the 5-digit zip or mixed direct categories (if third
class). The city code is distinct from and should not be confused
with the city category.
If the city codes of the defective and most recent books are not
the same, a block 94 compares the first three digits of the zip
codes of these books to determine whether the books should be
grouped in the 3-digit category. If these first three digits are
identical, a block 98 causes version X to be reordered immediately
preceding a change in the first three digits of the current zip
code.
Following the block 98, control passes to a block 130, FIG. 5,
which generates the indication of postage increase, if any, for
this book. This is necessary since this book now qualifies for the
highest postal rate whereas it previously may have qualified for a
lesser rate.
If it is determined that the first three digits of the zip code are
not the same, then a block 100 determines the sectional center
facility, or SCF, of the defective book and the most recent book.
This is accomplished by utilizing the zip code information for each
book to access a lookup table containing SCF identifications. A
block 102 then compares the SCF designations for the defective book
and most recent book. If the SCF designations are identical, a
block 104 causes version X to be reordered immediately preceding a
change in the SCF from that associated with the books currently
being produced.
If it is found that the SCF designations are not identical, a block
105 determines whether the finished bundles are to be palletized.
This information may be manually entered into the computer 25 or
may be stored on the tape 37. If the bundles will not be
palletized, a block 106 compares the state information of the
defective book with that of the most recent book. If the books are
to be mailed to the same state, a block 108 causes version X to be
reordered immediately preceding a change in such state.
If the block 106 determines that the books are not to be mailed to
the same state, then the book is to be grouped with books from
other states, and hence version X is reordered at a later point in
the sequence such as at the end of the production run.
If the block 105 determines that the bundles are to be palletized,
a block 112 determines whether the defective book and the most
recent book have the same SDC designation, such information being
stored on the tape 37. If this is the case, version X is reordered
immediately preceding a change in the SDC designation. Otherwise,
version X is reordered by the block 110.
Control from each of the blocks 104,108,110,114 passes to the block
130, FIG. 5, previously mentioned.
It should be noted that a change in 5-digit zip code, city, 3-digit
zip code, SCF, SDC (if palletizing) or state (if sacking) may be
indicated by flags in the RAM 62 or may be accomplished by other
means, as desired.
The net result of the program shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is to cause
the original collating sequence to be changed to a revised sequence
due to the reordering of defective books. Control then passes to
the postage revision program shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
It should be noted that the point at which the defective book is
reordered may be determined in accordance with a comparison of the
postal information of the defective book with another book on the
conveyor which is not the most recent book. For example, assume
that there are 23 signature feeders positioned adjacent the
conveyor at positions 1-11 and 13-24 such that position 1 is
occupied by the box currently feeding to the most recent book and,
position 24 is occupied by the last box to feed signatures to the
conveyor stations. Also assume that an ink jet printer occupies
position 12 and that a series of customized books are to be
produced wherein the customization is due solely to the message
printed by the ink jet printer (i.e. all books have the same
signature makeup). If a detector downstream of the ink jet printer
determines that no signature was fed by one or more of the boxes at
positions 13-24 where a signature should have been fed, then the
postal information of the defective book is compared against that
of the book adjacent the box at position 11. If the zip code and
carrier route designations of these two books match, then the
message for the defective book is applied on the book currently
adjacent position 11 so that the defective book is reordered. This
is possible since each book will eventually have the same
signatures contained therein. The customized messages for the
remaining books in the production sequence are applied on later
books after the message for the defective book has been
printed.
On the other hand, if the carrier route and zip code designations
for the defective book and the book adjacent position 11 are not
both the same, the postal information of the defective book might
be compared against that of all or only some of the books adjacent
positions 1-10 to determine the optimal reorder time.
Referring now to FIG. 4, following the block 92 of FIG. 3A, the
block 120 determines whether the defective book was originally
classified in lowest postal level C or CAR RT. In other words, the
block 120 determines whether the defective book which was
originally classified with either more than six (if second class)
or ten (if third class) other books having the same carrier route
and zip code designations. If this is not the case, then the book
was originally classified in the intermediate postal rate category
and hence no adjustment to postage need be made. Accordingly,
control passes through a block 121 to a block 122 if the run is not
yet complete where control pauses until the next defective book
interrupt is received.
If it is determined that the defective book was originally
classified in postal level C or in the CAR RT classification, then
a block 124 checks to determine whether the defective book was
previously reordered and classified in the intermediate postal rate
category. This is accomplished by checking a flag in the RAM 62, as
noted more specifically below. If this is the case, then the
defective book was originally classified in the lowest postal rate
classification, and subsequently was reordered in the intermediate
postal rate classification and the indication of postage increase
already generated. Accordingly, no further postage revision is
required and hence control passes to the block 121.
If the block 124 determines that the defective book has not been
previously reordered and that it has been reclassified in the
intermediate postal level, then a block 200 checks to determine
whether or not there is a bundle or package which qualifies for the
intermediate rate with which the reorder book can be grouped so as
to also qualify for the intermediate rate. This information is
determined by checking a register in the RAM 62 which is loaded
with information initially provided on the magnetic tape 37. It
should be noted that the tape 37 also loads registers in the RAM 62
with information identifying the bundle with which the reordered
book was originally grouped and the number of books in such group.
These last two items of information are important to identify
degenerated bundles as noted more specifically below.
If the block 200 determines that there is no intermediate level
bundle with which the reordered book can be grouped, then the book
must be reordered at the highest postal rate category and hence
control passes to a block 134, FIG. 5A, which initiates
recalculation of the postage required for the book. On the other
hand, if the block 200 determines that there is an intermediate
level bundle with which the reordered book can be grouped so it
also obtains the intermediate rate, then control passes to a block
202 which checks the contents of a register in the RAM 62
containing an indication of the weight of the bundle with which the
reordered book is to be grouped. This value is manually entered
into the system or is initially loaded from the magnetic tape 37
and is utilized to determine whether, in a third class mailing, the
bundle weight, as augmented by the weight of the reordered book,
would exceed a maximum weight for the intermediate rate category.
If the bundle weight is determined to be greater than the maximum
that can be mailed at the intermediate rate, then the reordered
book must be mailed at the highest postal rate and hence control
passes to the block 134, FIG. 5A.
On the other hand, if the bundle weight does not exceed the maximum
even with the addition of the reordered book, then control passes
to a block 204 which updates the contents of the bundle weight
register. A postal change counter designated "C-to-B" for version X
is also incremented, such counter being contained within the RAM 62
shown in FIG. 1. There is a different "C-to-B" counter for each
version to be produced in the run.
It should be noted that an indication of the weight of each book
can be generated by various means, such as by utilizing an average
weight for each book, an indication generated by multiplying the
calipered thickness of the book times an average weight per page or
any other means which generates some reliable indication of book
weight. As previously noted, this information is stored in the RAM
62 to permit the determination by block 202 as to whether the
bundle weight exceeds the specified maximum.
Further, in the case of mailings in a class other than third class
which do not have maximum weight limits for the intermediate postal
rate category, the block 202 would not be utilized and control from
the block 200 would proceed directly to the block 204 in the event
that there is an intermediate level bundle with which the reordered
book can be grouped.
Following the block 126, a block 128 sets a flag in the RAM 62
indicating that the defective book has been reordered. This
information is important since it may occur that the reordered book
itself may later be found to be defective, in which case block 124
is again encountered to check the status of this flag.
Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, immediately following the blocks
98,104,108,110,114 in FIG. 3, the block 130 checks to determine
whether the defective book was originally classified in the lowest
postal rate level. If this is the case, then a block 132 checks to
determine whether the defective book was previously reordered and
classified in the intermediate postal rate classification. This is
accomplished, similar to the block 124 described in FIG. 4 by
checking the reorder flag for the defective book in the RAM 62. If
this is not the case, then a postal change counter designated
"C-to-A" in the RAM 62 is incremented since the defective book
originally qualified for the lowest postal rates, but could not be
ordered in time to qualify for either the lowest or intermediate
rates.
Following the block 134, control passes to a block 136, FIG. 5B,
which sets the reorder flag for the defective book. A block 138
then checks to determine whether the entire production run has been
completed. If this is not the case then control pauses at a block
140 until the next defective book interrupt is received.
On the other hand, if the block 138 determines that the run has
been completed, a block 142 prints a postage report, to be
described in greater detail in later portions of the
specification.
If the block 132, FIG. 5A, determines that the defective book had
previously been reordered at the intermediate postal rate level,
then a block 144 checks to determine whether the defective book and
the reordered book are both classified in the highest postal rate
classification. In other words, this block checks to determine
whether the book is being reordered at the highest postal rate,
when it was previously reordered also at the highest postal rate.
If this is the case, then no adjustment to postage need be made and
control passes directly to the block 136 previously described.
On the other hand, if the block 144 determines that the defective
book was classified in the intermediate postal rate level and is
now being reordered in the highest postal rate level, then a block
146 decrements the "C-to-B" postal change counter for version X and
a block 148 increments the "C-to-A" postal change counter for
version X. This is necessary since the book has been twice
reordered, each time at a higher rate, i.e. the book originally
qualified for the lowest postal rates, then was reordered at the
intermediate postal rate and finally was reordered at the highest
postal rate. Accordingly, the bookkeeping is kept accurate by
simply noting that the book is subject to an incremental increase
in postage from the lowest to the highest rates and by deleting the
incremental increase from the lowest to the intermediate rates.
Following the block 148, control passes to the block 136 previously
described.
Referring again to FIG. 5A, if the block 130 determines that the
defective book originally did not qualify for the lowest postal
rate, then a block 150 checks to determine whether the defective
book was previously reordered at the intermediate postal rate
level. If this is not the case, then no adjustment to postage need
be made since the defective book originally was classified in the
highest postal rate level and is reordered at the same level.
On the other hand, if the block 150 determines that the book had
been previously reordered at the intermediate postal rate level,
then a block 152 checks to determine whether the defective book had
been previously reordered and classified in the highest postal rate
level. If this is the case, then again no adjustment to postage
indication need be made since the book had previously been
calculated in the highest postal rate level and will again be
ordered at this level.
On the other hand, if the block 152 determines that the book had
not been previously reordered and classified in the highest postal
rate level, then a block 154 increments a "B-to-A" postal change
counter in the RAM 62 for version X since the defective book
originally qualified for the intermediate postal rates while the
reordered book cannot so qualify.
Control from the block 154 then passes to the block 136 previously
described.
Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a flow diagram of
steps for calculating an indication of the increase in postage due
to the reordering of defective books. The flow diagram of FIG. 6 is
described under the assumption that the steps are, in the preferred
embodiment, implemented in the computer 25, it being understood
that such steps may be performed manually, if desired.
A block 160 loads a table of postage rates into memory locations in
the RAM 62. Generally, the table is segregated according to version
and according to the incremental postage rate for each change
between postage rate levels. For example, for version X, three
figures are stored representing the dollar increase for a change in
classification for a book between the lowest and intermediate
postage levels, the lowest and highest postage levels and the
intermediate and highest postage levels. These rates are, of
course, determined by the U.S. Postal Service.
Following the block 160, the blocks 80-152, shown in FIGS. 3-5,
reorder the defective book and generate an indication of the
increase in postage for the reordered book. A block 162 then
performs a lookup procedure in the table of postage rates and the
version X postal change counters and multiplies the contents of
each version X counter by the appropriate increase in postage
stored in the table. The block 162 then generates three postal
adjustments which are added to the previously calculated postal
bill for version X by a block 164.
A block 166 then causes the printer 68, FIG. 1, to print out the
adjusted postal level for version X. A block 168 then repeats the
steps of blocks 162-166 for the remaining versions of the
production run.
The programming in the computer can be modified to calculate the
extra postage required when a defective book causes an entire group
of books to change postal rate level. In such a case, it is
necessary to provide on the magnetic tape not only a precalculated
indication of the total postage required, but also the number of
pieces of each version to be mailed according to postal rate level
classification. At the end of the production run, the information
stored in the postal change counters can be combined with this
additional information to derive an indication of total
postage.
Moreover, the programming can be modified to eliminate the need for
a precalculated indication of postage. In such a case, the final
indication of postage would be generated after the production run,
based upon the sequence in which the nondefective books were
produced.
Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated the programming in
the computer 25 which will detect the occurrence of a "degenerated"
bundle or package. Whenever a book reaches a predetermined point in
the binding system, such as when it is transported from the label
printer 56 to the town sort mechanism 59 shown in FIG. 1, an
interrupt is generated which causes control to pass to a block 210
which services the interrupt. A block 212 then checks a register in
the RAM 62 to determine whether this book should be grouped with
the "last" bundle, i.e. the most recent bundle to have exited the
system. If so, control passes to a block 214 which increments a
temporary bundle counter in the RAM 62.
If the block 212 determines that the book currently exiting the
system does not belong with the last bundle, then the last bundle
has been completed and various tests are executed to determine
whether the bundle qualifies for the rate at which it was
originally anticipated that it would be mailed. A block 216 checks
to determine whether the last bundle was to be mailed at the lowest
postal rate category. If not, a block 218 checks to determine
whether the bundle was to be mailed at the intermediate level
discount category. If the bundle did not originally classify for
either the lowest or intermediate rates, then it has been
determined that the bundle is to be sent at the highest rate and
control passes to a block 220 which resets the temporary bundle
counter. The block 220 also resets the weight counter which
contains an indication of the weight of the bundle.
If the block 216 determines that the last bundle was originally to
be mailed at the lowest postal rate, control passes to a block 222
which checks the contents of the temporary bundle counter in the
RAM 62 in order to determine whether the last bundle still meets
the minimum bundle size required for the lowest rate. If the bundle
size is still sufficient to allow the bundle to be mailed at the
lowest rate, control passes to the block 220 which, as previously
noted, resets the temporary bundle counter and the weight
counter.
On the other hand, if the block 222 determines that the bundle size
is now insufficient to qualify for the lowest rate, control passes
to a block 224 which causes the printer 68 to print out various
data, such as the zip code of the last bundle, the original bundle
size and the actual bundle size. A block 226 then generates a
revised indication of the postage required to mail the items in the
bundle, since the bundle has degenerated and hence must be mailed
at a higher postal discount category. A block 228 then actuates an
output device to mark the bundle as being degenerated for ready
identification by personnel supervising the bundling. Control then
returns to the block 210 upon receipt of the next interrupt.
If the block 218 determines that the last bundle originally
qualified for the intermediate rate, a block 230 and a block 232
together determine whether the bundle can still qualify for the
intermediate rate. The block 230 checks to determine whether the
minimum bundle size requirement is met while the block 232
determines whether the bundle weight is greater than the minimum
weight required to qualify for the intermediate rate. If one of
these tests is not met, control passes to the blocks 224-228 which
generate an indication of the degenerated status of the bundle.
Following the block 220, control returns to the block 214 which
increments the temporary bundle counter by one. This action is
necessary since the temporary bundle counter has been cleared by
the block 220 after the first book in the next bundle has exited
the system. Control from the block 214 then returns to the block
210 when the next interrupt is generated.
It should be noted that the programming of FIG. 7, will calculate
all degenerated bundles at the highest postal rate. This aspect of
the process can be modified to check to determine whether the
degenerated bundle can be reordered into the intermediate postal
level first and, if this is not possible, to then reorder the
bundle into the highest postal level, if desired.
It should also be noted that the generation of an indication of a
degenerated bundle can be utilized in other ways, such as by
actuating a replacement book feeder which would feed standard books
to be grouped with the other books in the bundle to permit the
bundle to retain its original postal rate classification. Or, a
signal can be generated or a mark applied to the bundle to allow
the bundle to be diverted downstream of the town sorting mechanism
59 shown in FIG. 1 so that the bundle can be subjected to special
handling.
While the present invention has been described in connection with
production of books to be mailed second or third class, it should
be noted that the system is equally adaptable to other postal
classes in which various rates are charged depending upon how items
are bundled or grouped.
* * * * *